聪明人和傻子和奴才
The Wise Man, the Fool and the Slave
鲁迅
Lu Xun
奴才总不过是寻人诉苦。
What a slave did was just to look for someone to listen to his own grievances.
只要这样，也只能这样。
That was the only thing he wanted to do and also the only thing he could do.
有一日，他遇到一个聪明人。
One day he came across a wise man.
“先生！”他悲哀地说，眼泪联成一线，就从眼角上直流下来。
“Sir!” said he sadly, tears trickling down from the corners of his eyes.
“你知道的。我所过的简直不是人的生活。
“As you can see, I lead a subhuman life.
吃的是一天未必有一餐，这一餐又不过是高粱皮，连猪狗都不要吃的，尚且只有一小碗......”
I’m not even assured of a single meal a day. If I have one, it’s only a small bowl of kaoliang husks, which even a pig or dog would disdain to eat ...”
“这实在令人同情。”聪明人也惨然说。
“What a wretched life you lead!” the wise man replied with pity.
“可不是么！”他高兴了。
“Isn’t it?” the slave followed up with exaltation.
“可是做工是昼夜无休息的：清早担水晚烧饭，上午跑街夜磨面，晴洗衣裳雨张伞，冬烧汽炉夏打扇。
“And I toil day and night without rest. I carry water at dawn and cook dinner at dusk. I run errands all morning and grind wheat at night. I wash the clothes when it’s fine and hold an umbrella for my master when it’s rainy. I take care of the heating stove in winter and keep cooling my master with a fan in summer.
半夜要煨银耳，侍候主人耍钱；头钱从来没分，有时还挨皮鞭......”
I boil white fungus for him late at night. I wait on him at his gambling table without ever getting a tip.
“唉唉......
Instead I sometimes get a good thrashing ...”
”聪明人叹息着，眼圈有些发红，似乎要下泪。
“Oh, dear!” the wise man said with a sigh, the rims of his eyes looking somewhat red as if he were about to shed tears.
“先生！我这样是敷衍不下去的。
“Sir! I can’t put up with it any more.
我总得另外想法子。
I’ve got to find a way out.
可是什么法子呢？......”
But what can I do?...”
“我想，你总会好起来......”
“I’m sure you’ll pull through sooner or later ...”
“是么？但愿如此。
“Really? I hope so.
可是我对先生诉了冤苦，又得你的同情和慰安，已经舒坦得不少了。
But, sir, I already feel much better now as you’ve given me sympathy and encouragement after listening to my grievances.
可见天理没有灭绝......”
It’s thus clear that Heaven always upholds justice ...”
但是，不几日，他又不平起来了，仍然寻人去诉苦。
A few days later, however, he again began to grumble and look for somebody to listen to his complaints.
“先生！”他流着眼泪说，“你知道的。
“Sir!” he cried out tearfully.
我住的简直比猪窠还不如。
“You know, I live in a place even lousier than a pigsty.
主人并不将我当人；他对他的叭儿狗还要好到几万倍......”
My master treats me like dirt. He treats his Pekinese ten thousand times better ...”
“混账！”那人大叫起来，使他吃惊了。
“Damn it!” the listener swore in such a loud voice as to make the slave start.
那人是一个傻子。
This man was a fool.
“先生，我住的只是一间破小屋，又湿，又阴，满是臭虫，睡下去就咬得真可以。
“Sir, I live in a run-down small hut which is wet, dingy, stinking and full of bedbugs. They bite me all over when I lie down to sleep.
秽气冲着鼻子，四面又没有一个窗......”
And the place doesn’t even have a single window ...”
“你不会要你的主人开一个窗的么？”
“Why not ask your master to have a window made?”
“这怎么行？......”
“How can I do that? ...”
“那么，你带我去看去！”
“OK, you show me around!”
傻子跟奴才到他屋外，动手就砸那泥墙。
As soon as they came to the slave’s dwelling, the fool started to pound its mud wall.
“先生！你干什么？”他大惊地说。
“What the hell are you doing, sir?” the slave yelled with alarm.
“我给你打开一个窗洞来。”
“I’m trying to knock a hole to make a window for you.”
“这不行！主人要骂的！”
“No, you can’t do that! The master will be mad at me!”
“管他呢！”他仍然砸。
“To hell with your master!” The fool continued pounding away.
“来人呀！强盗在毁咱们的屋子了！快来呀！迟一点可要打出窟窿来了！......
“Help! A robber is breaking down our house! Hurry up, or he’ll knock a big hole in the wall! ...”
”他哭嚷着，在地上团团地打滚。
Sobbing and shouting at the top of his voice, the slave rolled round and round on the ground.
一群奴才都出来了，将傻子赶走。
Thereupon, a whole troop of slaves arrived on the scene and drove away the fool.
听到了喊声，慢慢地最后出来的是主人。
The last one that came out unhurriedly on hearing the commotion was the master.
“有强盗要来毁咱们的屋子，我首先叫喊起来，大家一同把他赶走了。”
“A robber came to smash up our house,” the slave spoke respectfully and smugly. “I was the first to shout the alarm.
他恭敬而得胜地说。
We together drove him away.”
“你不错。”主人这样夸奖他。
“You did well,” the master praised him.
这一天就来了许多慰问的人，聪明人也在内。
A great many people came that day to express their solicitude, among them the wise man.
“先生。这回因为我有功，主人夸奖了我了。
“Sir, I’ve just been praised by my master for my meritorious service,” the slave said to the wise man very happily and hopefully.
你先前说我总会好起来，实在是有先见之明......
“I remember you said the other day that I would pull through sooner or later. So you’re really a man of foresight ...”
”他大有希望似的高兴地说。“可不是么......”聪明人也代为高兴似的回答他。
“Oh, yeah ...” replied the wise man as if he, too, were happy for the sake of the slave.
立论
On Presenting a View
我梦见自己正在小学校的讲堂上预备作文，向老师请教立论的方法。
I dreamed that while preparing to write a composition in a primary school classroom I asked the teacher how to present a view.
“难！”老师从眼镜圈外斜射出眼光来，看着我，说。
“That’s a hard nut,” said the teacher, giving me a sidelong glance over his glasses.
“我告诉你一件事——
“Let me tell you this story —”
“一家人家生了一个男孩，合家高兴透顶了。
“When a baby boy is born to a family, there is immense joy in the whole household.
满月的时候，抱出来给客人看，——大概自然是想得一点好兆头。
When he is one month old, they invite some people over for taking a look at him — customarily, of course, in expectation of some good wishes.
“一个说：'这孩子将来要发财的。’他于是得到一番感谢。
“One of the guests receives hearty thanks for saying, 'The child is destined to be rich.’
“一个说：'这孩子将来要做官的。’他于是收回几句恭维。
“Another is paid some compliments in return for saying, 'The child is destined to be an official.’
“一个说：'这孩子将来是要死的。’他于是得到一顿大家合力的痛打。
“Still another, however, is given a sound beating by the whole family for saying, 'The child will eventually die.’
“说要死的必然，说富贵的许谎。
“To call the child mortal is to state the inevitable while to say that the child will become very rich or a high official is probably a lie.
但说谎的得好报，说必然的遭打。
Yet the former gets a thrashing while the latter is rewarded.
你......”
You ...”
“我愿意既不谎人，也不遭打。
“I don’t want to tell a lie, and neither do I want to be beaten.
那么，老师，我得怎么说呢？”
Then what should I do, sir?”
“那么，你得说：'啊呀！这孩子呵！您瞧！多么......啊唷！哈哈！
“Well, just say, 'Ai-ya, this child! Just look! Oh, my! Hah! Hehe! He, hehehehe!'”
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